The present invention relates to an insole for a shoe. In particular, the present invention relates to an insole device that can rehabilitate a foot by stimulating a proprioceptive response in the wearer""s foot.
Professionals dealing with gait related pathologies generally accept that a large majority of persons will, at some time in their lives, suffer some form of gait related pain or dysfunction. It is also well accepted that, in the majority of cases, the mechanism underlying the pathology, injury, or dysfunction is biomechanically related to the interface between the foot and the ground, during the support phase of the gait cycle.
It has been proposed that providing a device to create a proprioceptive, or internal, feedback stimulus to a wearer""s foot can directly target the underlying pathology, injury or dysfunction. Such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,659 to Burke et al. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,659, an arch rehabilitative catalyst stimulates the Golgi tendon organ, which in turn, stimulates the musculoskeletal structure of the foot to rehabilitate the foot structure. The catalyst is an asymmetrically domed hump, which creates a mild to strong discomfort to initially stimulate the Golgi tendon organ.
However, it has been found that the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,659 does not function as described, and that the majority of wearers find the device too uncomfortable to use. In particular, when subjected to conventional vertical compressive forces of a person walking in the range of 2.5 times body weight, the device is designed to deflect between 40% and 60% of its maximum height, and when subject to only one times a person""s weight, there should be no deflection. Rather than stimulate the Golgi tendon organ to create a proprioceptive response, deflections in this range can cause severe pain to a wearer, as there is insufficient give, and the wearer is always aware of the presence of the device. In addition, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,659, the device has an ideal apex height of 5.25% to 7.6% of the total foot length. A device build according to these dimensions results in an overly high arch height, and can cause severe discomfort, and possible injury, to a wearer. It is further disclosed that the absolute, non-weight bearing height of the device should be the same regardless of body weight and arch height. This is clearly wrong, since different wearers will have different comfort thresholds and arch heights.
In general, the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,659 does not function as described. Wearers would find the device too hard to use successfully, and rather than stimulating a proprioceptive response, the device would cause pain and discomfort at each step. The pain engendered in the foot of a wearer would, in fact, cause the wearer to limit the pressure applied to the foot to avoid the discomfort, rather than exercising the foot by creating an imperceptible simulation as is its stated goal.
A rehabilitative insole device is provided which has a substantially dome-shaped catalyst for interfacing with the plantar aspect of a human foot. The catalyst has an apex for aligning with a target area within the foot, the target area being defined by the point of articulation of the lateral cuneiform, cuboid and navicular bones of the foot to permit unhibited triplanar pivoting of the foot about the target area. The catalyst has a maximum height at the apex of from 1% to 5% of the length of the foot, wherein the length of the foot corresponds substantially to the length of the rehabilitative insole device. The catalyst is resiliently deformable to apply an upwardly directed pressure to stimulate the Golgi tendon organ in the foot in response to downward pressure on the catalyst by the foot. The resilient member has a resilient deformability to allow the catalyst to deflect from between 40% and 100% of the maximum height in response to vertical forces of a person standing at rest being applied to the catalyst.
The catalyst may have a cavity for removably accommodating an insert which acts between the catalyst and an underlying surface to control the resilient deformability of the catalyst. The catalyst and the insert may have co-operating engagement means for securing the insert to the insole. The co-operating engagement means may include detent means for resisting separation of the insert from the insole and lateral shifting therebetween.
The detent means may include an enlarged end on one of the insert and the catalyst which is insertable through a narrower opening in the other of the insert and the catalyst.
The enlarged end may be provided on a distal end of at least one projection entending from a respective of the insert and the catalyst.
The catalyst may have an outer cover over the insole with at least one projection extending from the outer cover through the insole.
The co-operating engagement means may include vertical walls on the insert which register with corresponding vertical walls on the receptacle to resist lateral shifting therebetween. The detent means may include mating strips of hook and loop fastener secured to an inner lateral surface of the receptacle and an outer lateral surface of the insert.
The projection may be a resilient column depending from the catalyst through the receptacle and the insert may have a recess which closely surrounds at least part of the column to resist deformation of the column in a lateral direction thereby enhancing the stiffness of the resilient column.
A magnetic material may be interspersed between the insole and the insert.
The insert may have a resilient column extending downwardly from the insole in the cavity and a detachable ring member for receiving the column and resisting resilient deformation of the column in the lateral direction, thereby enhancing the stiffness of the resilient column.
The co-operating engagement means may be mating strips of hook and of loop fastener secured to registering faces of the insert and the insole.
The co-operating engagement means may include respective strips of opposite pole magnetic material secured to registering faces of the insert and the insole. The co-operating engagement means may further include vertical walls on the insert which register with vertical walls on the receptacle to resist lateral shifting therebetween.
The detent means may include a plurality of projections extending upwardly from the insert and terminating in enlarged ends. The detent means may also include apertures through the catalyst for receiving the projections with the enlarged ends terminating above the catalyst once the insert is secured to the insole. The apertures and projections may be arranged in a pattern corresponding to reflexology points on the foot to apply reflexology therapy in response to downward pressure by the foot on the insole. A magnetic material may further be provided between the insole and the insert around the projections. dr
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, by reference to the attached drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a medial sagittal view of an insole showing the location of an arch rehabilitative catalyst relative to foot placement on the insole or midsole;
FIG. 2 is a dorsal view of an insole showing the location of an arch rehabilitative catalyst relative to foot placement;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cantilever spring device of the present invention showing an undercarriage and positioning apertures;
FIG. 4 is a sagittal plane cross-sectional view of the insole or midsole and the cantilever spring device of FIG. 3, through section A-Axe2x80x2 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the cantilever spring device of the present invention to be designed into the undercarriage;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment utilizing a domed shaped coil spring device of the present invention showing an undercarriage and positioning apertures;
FIG. 7 is a frontal plane cross-sectional view of further embodiment of a domed shaped coil spring device of the present invention through section B-Bxe2x80x2 of FIG. 6;
FIGS. 8a and 8b are frontal and sagittal plane cross sectional views of the insole or midsole through sections A-Axe2x80x2 and B-Bxe2x80x2 of FIG. 2 showing the positioning of a rectangular receptacle cavity in the area of the arch rehabilitative catalyst, respectively;
FIG. 9 is a plantar aspect view of the arch rehabilitative catalyst and the rectangular receptacle cavity in the arch rehabilitative catalyst shown in FIGS. 8a and 8b; 
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an insert that can be inserted into the rectangular receptacle cavity in the arch rehabilitative catalyst;
FIGS. 11a and 11b are frontal and sagittal plane view of further embodiment of the insole or midsole through sections A-Axe2x80x2 and B-Bxe2x80x2 of FIG. 2 showing the positioning of a rectangular pyramidal receptacle cavity in the arch rehabilitative catalyst;
FIG. 12 is a plantar aspect view of the arch rehabilitative catalyst and the rectangular pyramidal receptacle cavity in the arch rehabilitative catalyst shown in FIGS. 11a and 11b; 
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an insert that can be inserted into the rectangular pyramidal receptacle cavity in the arch rehabilitative catalyst;
FIGS. 14a and 14b are frontal and sagittal plane views of another embodiment of an insole through sections A-Axe2x80x2 and B-Bxe2x80x2 showing the positioning of a rectangular receptacle cavity with curvilinear ends in the arch rehabilitative catalyst;
FIG. 15 is a plantar aspect view of the arch rehabilitative catalyst and the rectangular receptacle cavity with curvilinear ends in the arch rehabilitative catalyst shown in FIGS. 14a and 14b; 
FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an insert that can be inserted into the rectangular receptacle cavity with curvilinear ends in the arch rehabilitative catalyst shown in FIGS. 14a and 14b; 
FIG. 17 is a perspective view of further embodiment of a domed shaped insert with positioning and security ribs on its dorsal aspect;
FIG. 18 is a frontal cross-sectional view of the arch rehabilitative catalyst and insole or midsole through section B-Bxe2x80x2 of FIG. 2 showing the domed shaped insert with 2 positioning and security ribs of FIG. 17;
FIG. 19 is a frontal cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a arch rehabilitative catalyst and insole or midsole through section B-Bxe2x80x2 of FIG. 2 showing the domed shaped insert with a singular positioning and security rib;
FIG. 20 is a medial sagittal view of another embodiment the invention showing the location of the arch rehabilitative catalyst relative to foot placement on the insole or midsole and the posterior heel skive;
FIG. 21 is a view of the heel region of the insole or midsole device illustrating the location and characteristics of the tapered heel skive as shown in FIG. 20;
FIG. 22 is a frontal plane cross sectional view through section C-Cxe2x80x2 of FIG. 21 showing the geometric characteristics of the posterior heel skive;
FIGS. 23a and 23b are frontal and sagittal plane views of further embodiment of the insole or midsole of the invention through sections A-Axe2x80x2 and B-Bxe2x80x2 of FIG. 2 showing the positioning of a rectangular receptacle cavity in the arch rehabilitative catalyst with the cavity displaying a combination of vertical sidewalls and tapered sidewalls;
FIG. 24 is a sagittal plane cross-sectional view of another embodiment of an insole through section A-Axe2x80x2 of FIG. 2 illustrating a foot positioned dorsal top, the insole having a cavity with an undercut opening and an insert having a geometry matching the cavity;
FIG. 25a is a sectional view illustrating a further embodiment in which the insert has protruding pillar heads;
FIG. 25b illustrates the insert of FIG. 25a having a further stiffening component;
FIGS. 26a and 26b illustrate yet another receptacle/insert configuration;
FIGS. 27a and 27b illustrate insert/receptacle configurations using a hook and loop fastener as a cooperating engagement means;
FIGS. 28a and 28b correspond to the FIG. 25a embodiment but also illustrate the incorporation of magnetic foil;
FIGS. 29a and 29b illustrate an insole cavity having a downwardly protruding pillar and a detachable ring member; and
FIG. 30 illustrates an insole having an outer layer extending through the insole for engaging the insert.